NOWRAMP Expedition Initial Results DIFFERENCES ACROSS THE ISLAND CHAIN: Scientists noticed changes in coral, fish and plant life and abundance across the chain of islands. For example, fisheries biologists noted a change in the presence of sharks. In the southern islands, they noticed a higher number of gray sharks, whereas galapagos sharks were more abundant in the north. In terms of coral, there were significant differences in coral cover and species between the higher basaltic islands and the carbonate atolls. For example, rare branching corals in the main islands achieve abundance on the reefs of the northwest chain. The rare table corals achive greatest abundance and diversity at French Frigate Shoals and 4 adjacet islands in the northwest chain, whereas they are only occasionally seen in the main islands. Although the differences may not have been as pronounced with invertebrates, changes were also noted across the chain.